ANNUAL REPORT Quality in Life! THESSALONIKI WATER SUPPLY & SEWERAGE Co. S.A. THESSALONIKI WATER SUPPLY & SEWERAGE CO. S.A. 2 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from CEO 4 Information on how annual report was prepared 7 SECTION 1 - THE COMPANY IN 2017 1.1 At a glance 10 SECTION 2 - THE COMPANY 2.1 Background 14 2.2 Objects 16 2.3 Vision and Prospects 17 2.4 Major events in 2017 19 2.5 Pricing policy 21 2.6 Research, Development & GIS 22 SECTION 3 - COMPANY STRUCTURE 3.1 Organisational Chart 28 3.2 The Board of Directors 30 3.3 The General Manager and Managers 32 3.4 Corporate Governance Statement 34 3.5 Legislative Framework 35 SECTION 4 - CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 4.1 Employee education - support 38 4.2 Customer service 39 4.3 Ecological practices 40 4.4 Relations with the local community 41 4.5 Human Resources 42 SECTION 5 - INFRASTRUCTURE 5.1 Water supply 46 5.2 Quality control 50 5.3 Sewerage 51 5.4 Waste treatment 53 5.5 Caring for the environment 56 5.6 Permits 57 5.7 Technical Works 58 SECTION 6 - CONSUMPTION 6.1 Customer service 64 6.2 Consumption data analysis 65 SECTION 7 - INVESTMENT PLAN 7.1 Operating activities 73 7.2 Investing activities 73 7.3 EYATH's 2017-2023 Investment Plan 76 7.4 EYATH Fixed Assets' 2017-2023 Investment Plan 80 SECTION 8 - INFORMATION ABOUT SHARES 8.1 Performance 84 8.2 Share Capital Structure 85 8.3 Dividend Policy 86 8.4 Shareholder’s Rights 86 8.5 Share's stock market performance 90 8.6 Shareholder line-up 91 8.7 Share technical data 93 8.8 Shareholder relations 95 SECTION 9 - ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR 2017 Annual Financial Report 98 3 THESSALONIKI WATER SUPPLY & SEWERAGE CO. S.A. MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF EYATH S.A. YATH S.A. manages water, a public commodity, supplying it to automated monitoring and management of the water supply net- Emore than 1 million citizens, businesses and industries in the work (pipelines, pumping stations, reservoirs, etc.) by installing a Thessaloniki urban area. It also manages the urban area's sewerage SCADA system. This is a vital project that will help identify and system using urban and industrial Waste Water Treatment Plants, check drinking water leaks and will ensure optimal operation of all leaving its own footprint on another important public commodity E/M equipment that has been installed. which is under its protection: the environment. • The project entitled “Smart infrastructure for remote water Two key priorities which EYATH S.A.’s current management are consumption and water demand management systems” (known focusing on are the uninterrupted supply of high quality water to as SMART-WATER) co-financed by the 2014-2020 Partnership safeguard public health, on the one hand, and a reduction in the Agreement was approved. It is a research partnership between company’s environmental footprint on the other, via horizontal EYATH, a private sector company and the Information and Com- technology that runs through its day-to-day operations and pro- munication Technologies Institute of the Centre for Research and tects it against climate change. Technology Hellas (CERTH). Thanks to trial installation of the so-called smart water meters and smart water switches as well as Against that general background, in 2017: development of applications for them, consumers will be able to control water consumption at home or at their business premises • The company’s new investment plan for 2017-2023 was ap- in real time, to monitor charges, to receive automatic alerts about proved, which seeks to comprehensively develop and improve net- leaks so they intervene immediately no matter where they are, by works and expand operations, to supply water to areas within the turning on or turning off the water supply. urban area and outside of it which currently do not enjoy good quality water. • Procedures were initiated to accredit the Water Supply Lab in line with the ISO 17025:2005 standard, which entails strict com- • As part of the business plan, a dossier was submitted and in 2018 pliance with all requisite procedures to ensure optimal quality of we expect approval from the Central Macedonia Region Opera- the water supplied. tional Programme for the financial proposal to extend the Thessa- loniki Water Treatment Plant (Phase A2). That will entail overall • Research work continued in partnership with the Aristotle Uni- public expenditure of € 30.7 million (VAT incl.). versity of Thessaloniki on the impact on sludge from the treatment plant on the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil, • Two competitions via ASEP to recruit 150 full-time employees on wheat and maize crops. To explore new methods for managing were completed. By 31.12.2017 a total of 126 employees had taken sludge in partnership with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, up their posts, and so far recruitment procedures for a total of 143 the company made the facilities at the Aeneia Waste Water Treat- staff have been completed. New members of staff have filled posts ment Plant available for a pilot programme that composts dessicat- within the company enabling it to implement its investment plans ed sludge using earthworks. The company also partnered with the over the years to come. University’s Dept. of Civil Engineering on a project to explore the toxicity of industrial waste at the Thessaloniki Industrial Area, on • As part of its CSR activities, following the unprecedented frosts the nitrifying organisms at the industrial waste treatment plant. in January 2017 it was decided to provide full exemption from the cost of replacing broken water meters for special and vulnerable • In the spring of 2017 the new ozonisation plant to decontami- groups (social tariffs, public hospitals, schools, facilities for the el- nate treated waste water before disposing of it to the Thermaikos derly/disabled/refugees) and a 50% discount was given to all oth- Bay was completed. er consumers affected. Vulnerable groups also enjoyed complete exemption on the cost of excess water consumption, and other • Working in partnership with the Aristotle University of Thessa- consumers were given a discount depending on the excess con- loniki a programme to monitor the quality of the Thermaikos Bay sumption. is being implemented to study the marine environment at loca- tions where the discharge pipes from the company’s two biological • Technical details required to implement the project entitled treatment plants flow into the open sea, and along the coastline, “Remote control and automation of water supply systems within next to the White Tower. In 2017 the company continued to assist EYATH’s remit” with a total budget of approximately € 4 million cleaning up the bay by removing flotsam and any oil spills with the were finalised (this project is being financed by the Central Mace- aid of a private sector company, under the aegis of the Ministry of donia Region Partnership Agreement). The project seeks to ensure Macedonia - Thrace. 4 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF EYATH S.A. EYATH is a financially robust company and so can combine its business operations with a series of social responsibility measures, even in these financially and socially difficult times. During the year ended it managed to achieve an approx. € 4 million rise in net profits, which corresponds to an increase of around 32% and an 11.4% rise in EBITDA. One of the top strategic goals continues to be to improve customer service by offering top class water supply and sewerage services at the least possible cost in an equitable manner. At the same time, it continues to offer practical support to economically vulnerable groups via its social tariff, and by developing debt repayment plans that are free of default interest. Giving added value back to Thessaloniki's community via a series of information, educational and cultural activities in the context of its CSR policy is one of the tools EYATH employs -in parallel with generating strong financial results- to achieve viable, sustainable development. Prof. Ioannis N. Krestinitis May 2018 Chairman & CEO of EYATH S.A. 5 THESSALONIKI WATER SUPPLY & SEWERAGE CO. S.A. 6 ANNUAL REPORT 2017 INFORMATION ON HOW ANNUAL REPORT WAS PREPARED his Annual Report contains all the financial and other information necessary to investors and their investment advisors for true Tevaluation of the assets, financial position, results and prospects of the company EYATH S.A. (hereinafter the “Company”). This report was prepared in accordance with the provisions of the applicable legislation and in particular the provisions of Article 8 of Decision No. 5/204/14-11-2000 of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC), as amended by decision No. 7/372/15-2-2006 of the Board of Directors of the HCMC. The information it contains is true, accurate, complete, correct and clear. All information required under Article 10 of Law 3401/2005 relating to the Company, its shares and the transferable securities market on which its shares are traded, which information the company published and made available to the public during the 2017 financial year in accordance with law, is available on the company's website: www.eyath.gr in the 'Investor relations' section. Moreover, the annual financial statements, audit certificates from the certified public accountants and reports from the Board of Directors which are incorpo- rated into the consolidated financial statements have also been posted there. Lastly the Company declares that all transactions of persons obliged under Article 13(1) of Law 3340/2005 to disclose information, have been disclosed in accordance with the relevant law.